Edit 1 - guru, I think you misunderstand. There are going to be
two versions of Phantasy Star generation:1's version 2, just like version 1 had Lutz and Noah versions. I call it the "Overseas Names Version" because out of Japan, or "overseas," Alisa is Alis, Tyrone is Odin, Lutz is Noah, La Shiec is Lassic, Damoa is Damor, and Tajim is Tarzimal.
You see, this time, we're not
just changing Lutz to Noah, I'm changing the names of anyone who was named in the Master System original to how they were named in the official 1988 translation, using the corrections made to the script of the Game Boy Advance port of Phantasy Star I as a guideline. You can have your pick of which version you want.
What we're debating is is: should we change the spell names in the patch where their names are Alis, Noah, etc., or should we leave them the same?
My original post follows below because I spent a lot of time typing it out!
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Well, the goal of changing the spell names isn't really to make the game more accessible to new players. The descriptions are readily available for that! It's just that, every other English version of Phantasy Star I had completely changed the names.
For example, Flaeli. It was known as Fire in the official 1988 Master System release. In 2008, the group SMS Power! released a fan translation of the Japanese version of Phantasy Star, and they also renamed the spells. (Flaeli and Tolupa were always Flaeli and Tolupa in the Japanese version, even on the Master System, as far as I can tell.)
So I thought, "Well, if we're going with the official English character names, shouldn't we go with slightly tweaked versions of the official English spell names, too?" I think it's a different case from Phantasy Star II, whose tech names were simply corrected to their intended meanings in generation:2's fan translation.
As for PelorieMate and Roginine, in case anyone was wondering, changing the power food and energy drink in the official translation of the original game to a cup of cola and a hamburger actually made a bit of sense localization-wise, even if the food (LV 1 healing item originally.) and drink (LV 2 healing item originally.) got swapped in the trip across the pond, so to speak.
Changing them in generation:1 would make the jump to Trimate more illogical than it already is; OK gang, let's get our gear in order! Some cans of soda, some hamburgers, and a medicine made from crystals extracted from a stone? Not gonna work.
The Original Names patch wouldn't have any spell names change. I just thought this would be a fun idea!
Edit 2 -
guru wrote:Dark force! it was originally a mistranslation anyways correct? That was always my impression at least, but who knows maybe after so many years the evil entity just got a different name. Either way dark force would definitely go better with an overseas version.
My personal stance is that, since the official translations Phantasy Star II, III, and IV definitely cemented that this enemy is named Dark Force in overseas continuity, it should change in the Overseas Names Version,
but it was known as Dark Falz (DARKFALZ if you want to be pedantic.) in the 1988 official Sega Master System release, so I'm unsure and I'm waiting on Kyence's reply, since this would effect both "Overseas Names Versions." It would likely stay as Dark Falz in the Original Names Version.
guru wrote:I always remember tajima for ps1.... and tajim/tajima sounds "closer" to a oversea name imo. So my vote goes for tajima but I wouldn't mind tajim either and that would make it so wouldn't have to change the psg2 translation.
Funny thing you should mention that; I just looked up where the "Tajima" spelling comes from. I can't find anything outside of fan-related work like fan fics, some fan-maintained wikis, walkthroughs, and Kyence's v1.00 translation of generation:1. He was only ever called Tajim and Tarzimal in the original, and in the GBA port, it was corrected to him being called Tarzimal both times his name is referenced.
guru wrote:None are a big deal but couple things I don't like if you decide to change the spells...
hush... but I'm assuming you couldn't expand the characters on that one? Silence sounds better to me
Rope. I would vote Bind but the original version was rope right? So I guess technically rope would be right...but I never liked the original translation of that.
I was trying to keep spell names four letters or less to go along with the spirit of the official 1988 translation, but in the cases of Boost, Remedy, and Disarm, that wasn't possible. (I didn't want to call Curela "Cure" because that was Raheal's name in the original Master System version! Aid or Care might've worked, but I don't like those as much.)
In other cases, like Terrify and Thunder, I chose to expand them from their original abbreviations because it would look really, really unprofessional to leave them in when I had the power to change them comfortably. The spell names can be as long as the menu space will allow thanks to the variable width font, but there's an aesthetic choice I was trying to go with. I would consider Quiet or Mute, but I'd be hesitant to go with "Silence" because of its seven letters. If other people feel the same, I may consider keeping its original name.
Regarding Rope, I do kind of like the idea of Bind instead, but I'm trying my damnedest to stick to the official Master System translation without putting in idiotic spell names like Help or Wind.
Edit 3 - Decided officially on Bind and Quiet instead of Rope and Hush. Rope was a cute name originally, but it doesn't fit the spell animation anymore.
Also known as vivify93.